Balsamic Beets For One (With Feta Cheese)

Balsamic Beets with Feta for one is a ridiculously easy 3 ingredient recipe that you can easily scale up if there’s two of you or even if you’re entertaining a crowd.

 

This beet recipe is so simple that I nearly didn’t bother including it on the site.  But, when you cook for yourself, ridiculously simple food is often the best thing that can happen to your day.

Let’s Talk About Beets and the Single Person Kitchen

Beets are an ingredient you either love or hate. Personally, I love them! As a little kid I used to smear cooked beets on my lips to make “lipstick”.

Beets have a sweet, earthy flavour that reminds me of fall and, they’re very easy to grow if you’re lucky enough to have a small garden plot. They may also be nature’s most spectacularly vibrant food – that deep magenta colour will brighten up any plate or bowl.

Like most veggies, there are ways you can make them have a longer life in your kitchen.  I steam up a batch of 5 or 6 medium beets and keep them in the fridge for up to a week.  Then I toss them into salads, smoothies, lunch or dinner bowls or make a side dish with them.

Freezing Beets

But if you don’t want to eat beets 3 or 4 times a week, you can easily freeze them as well.  Simply steam them just like you would for eating, remove the skins and then slice them up and freeze them in an airtight container or bag once they’ve cooled. They’ll last for up to 3 months.

Pickling Beets

You can also quick pickle beets for another option – this will let them keep for up to three weeks in the fridge and they make a great salad or grain bowl topper.  You can even put them on sandwiches for a more unique condiment.

Do Not Peel Your Beets Before Cooking!

There’s no need to peel your beets before cooking (unless you like extra work and extra mess!).  Just give them a good scrub to get off any dirt, inspect them for any nicks or damaged bits (cut those out with a paring knife), top and tail them and then pop them in the steamer.

One they’re done, simply run them under cold water and and slip the skins off. It’s so easy and really helps minimize the amount of beet juice you get everywhere!

Making Balsamic Beets With Feta For One

This is such a perfect dish for the single person pantry. All you need besides 2 beets is some balsamic vinegar, which is a very handy pantry staple, and some feta cheese.

Steam your beets, slip off the skins, chop them into small chunks, pop them into a bowl and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Give the beets and vinegar a good toss and then crumble on the feta cheese right before you’re about to eat them.  I don’t recommend adding the feta until you’re ready to serve or it tends to absorb all the beet juice and turn purple and soggy.

You’ll get a great mix of sweet, tangy and salty flavours all in one mouthful.  You can serve this warm or cold – it’s delicious both ways.

Making Balsamic Beets For Two

If you’re cooking for two, simply double the recipe.  In fact, this recipe scales up really well for a crowd so if you’re hosting a few additional people, this is a very easy side dish to make ahead of time – just be sure to add the feta right before serving. Nobody needs to know how easy this was to make!

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